CASSELBERRY, Fla. — Despite weeks of pleading by the community, the Deer Run Golf Course in Casselberry is now closed.

• Deer Run assistant says owner wouldn't put money into the course
• Ownership group: Owner looking to develop on it
• Residents gearing up to fight any zoning changes

The closing of Deer Run appeared to seem inevitable after an ownership group met with some of the HOAs which make up this community to tell them the owner was looking to develop on the course.

According to the former assistant pro, the writing was on the wall for quite some time.

The course not a pretty sight to see. Dead greens, burnt grass, and an empty parking lot.

According to the club’s now former-assistant head pro Chris DeRosier, he says the course’s financial problems should be put on the owner, Bob Dello Russo.

“He has not put any money into the golf course in a few years to keep it up to the point where it really should be, to be busy,” a disappointed DeRosier said.

This past Memorial Day weekend, DeRosier says the course’s GM told him not to come in Sunday, or any day after that because the course will no longer be open.

“A quick conversation that. you know. we are not going to be able to stay open,” DeRosier said. “That there is no point in staying open because you are basically stealing money from people if they want to come out and play, because the course is in such horrible shape and we had no maintenance people left.”

DeRosier also tells Spectrum News he did not receive any type of severance package from the course where he worked for nine years.

Deborah Bauer, who has been leading the Save Deer Run campaign for the nearly 3,000 homes which make up the Deer Run community, says her neighborhood does not want to see new homes being built on the course, and is now ready for a fight.

“If you are going to apply to Seminole County to see the land rezoned so that you can build, expect to see many of us at every meeting you are at trying to get the approval changed,” Bauer said. “We are going to fight you every step of the way.”

We reached out to owner Bob Dello Russo about the course closing, or not providing any severance, but he has not responded.

We did speak with Randy Morris, who is handling the land application for the ownership group of the course. He says it will be filed with in the next 60 days. He also said the Wekiva Golf club in Longwood will also be likely closing in the future. No time frame has been set for when that will happen just yet.